After departing the cruise ship, we walked along Circular Quay until we got to the area called The Rocks. Pictured here is the Museum of Contemporary Art.
The Rocks derived its name from the rocky slopes on the west side of Sydney Cove. In its early days it was a place of squalor and violence - today it is one of the main tourist attractions with quaint old pubs possessing such historical names as Lord Nelson, the Heroes of Waterloo (licensed in 1833) and the Whalers Arms. The Rocks is a maze of sandstone lanes, courtyards, early 19th century warehouses and terraces.
By the time we arrived there, most of the shops were closed but the market was going strong. Lots of people were walking around, listening to the musical groups that were set up in various places along the market, shopping and eating at the various multi-cultural market shops. On one end of the market place, we came upon a 3-sided sculpture made from sandstone, showing The Convict (notice the chains around the ankles), The Soldier, and The Settlers. It was very striking - haunting, yet beautiful.
We had reservations for dinner at the Lowenbrau Keller, an authentic Bavarian German restaurant located in a convict-built cellar. A German band was out front playing and the place was hopping! We saw one group having a bachelor party - the soon to be married man was dressed in jailers clothing with chains around his ankles and he was carrying a bowling ball!
The food was delicious and we topped it off with dessert - apple strudel; Scott and Juliet topped it off with a couple different schnapps! I personally don't know how they drink that stuff! The evening was beautiful and we slowly found our way back to the hotel. A wonderful and memorable first day in Sydney.
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